International Business Development
Client Comments and Project Notes
Perhaps the best way to appreciate the flexibility, quality
and value of an IBD team's work is to hear it straight from
our clients. Below, you will find comments and descriptions
about a number of projects.
If you would like more information on any of our client companies
and organizations please click on their logos. (Most, but
not all, logos will connect you directly to that company's
web pages.)
Kyivstar GSM: Ukraine, 2001
An IBD team was assigned the task of preparing a business
plan for Kyivstar GSM, a wireless telephone operator in Ukraine.
The work they did was extremely well recieved. The client
indicated that "The representatives of one investment bank
that we havecontact with told me that this was the best and
most solid Business Plans they had seen not only in Eastern
Europe, but for a cellular company in general."
Qualcomm: China 1998
David Dow, North Asia Regional Manager for Qualcomm needed
a detailed review of the wireless telecommunications market
in China. Since he had previously used Haas teams for similar
projects while he was at Motorola, he knew that enlisting
a Haas team was an obvious way to get the job done efficiently
and effectively.
Grameen Uddog: Bangladesh 1998
Hand-woven textiles of Bangladesh have been known for their
excellence for hundreds of years. However, in recent years,
Bangladeshi weavers have faced many hardships that have led
to the gradual decline of the industry. The scarcity of raw
materials and a declining economy forced many weavers to abandon
their hand looms. They began looking for other jobs, while
many became unemployed. Bangladesh, which was once known for
producing and exporting high quality of fabrics, began to
import them from abroad. To assist the impoverished weavers,
whose daily income is less than a dollar, Grameen Bank has
set up a company named Grameen Uddog (Rural Initiative). In
1997 and again in 1998, Haas students worked with Grameen
Uddog to develop a marketing strategy for the export and sale
of these hand-woven textiles in the US market.
Citibank: Egypt / Mexico / Philippines 1998
Citibank, The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation
were discussing a possible cooperative effort to fund education
in less developed countries. However, they did not have the
personnel or resources at hand to conduct the necessary research.
So, Peter Thorp, Vice President, Corporate University Relations
and Educational Programs at Citibank suggested the International
Business Development Program at Haas. Less than one month
later we had teams of Haas consultants on the ground in Cairo,
Mexico City and Manila undertaking the needed research. Coordinated
by Faye Evans (Citibank V.P.), Jack Maas (IFC Lead Specialist)
and Harry Patrinos (World Bank Economist) the teams worked
with local representatives of these organizations. In three
weeks they had prepared comprehensive summaries of the market
for higher education as well as the financing requirements
and fund availability.
CNK Telecom, China 1998
A Haas team worked in with Real Time National Paging, a subsidiary
of CNK Telecom, in Shenzhen, Peoples Republic of China, to
review the competitive situation and to develop aspects of
a marketing plan for pagers in the Shenzhen and Guangzhou
areas of China.
"We are quite satisfied with the team's efforts. They were
persistent in getting market information in an environment
where relevant market data are difficult to obtain. They were
quick to analyze the company's situation, understand the issues,
and make useful recommendations that the company could implement
right away. The team members worked well together among themselves
and with our Shenzhen staff. They definitely exceeded our
expectations. They were able to deliver a quality product
in a short period of time. The team delivered a Nordstrom
quality product at K-Mart prices, to borrow one of the memorable
phrases presented by the team. Both the management and the
staff of the company indeed benefited tremendously from the
experience during those three weeks. We learned a lot about
the current situation of our paging company from the perspective
of an independent source."
EDMUND KUNG, CHAIRMAN, CNK Telecom
Lobkowicz/Roberts, Czech Republic 1998
The Lobkowicz family dates back to the 14th century and is
one of the oldest Bohemian noble families. Beethoven dedicated
his 5th and 3rd symphonies to Franz Joseph Maximilian Lobkowicz.
Wagner's Tannhauser was inspired by a stay at the Lobkowicz
castle in Strekov. The Lobkowicz name has been inextricably
bound with Czech culture and life. The Second World War and
the Communist takeover in 1948 resulted in the loss of all
Lobkowicz family properties. However, one of the results of
the "Velvet Revolution" of 1989 was the passage of restitution
laws that allowed the family to regain many of their former
properties. Almost overnight William Lobkowicz, a Harvard
educated American and his father Martin, found themselves
owning and managing nine castles (including Nelahozeves pictured
above,) a brewery, a winery, and numerous farms and businesses.
Through the assistance of Dr. Surry Roberts, a patron of the
American Friends for the Preservation of Czech Culture, William
Lobkowicz turned to the Haas School for assistance in developing
a business and marketing plan and an assessment of the strengths
and weaknesses of the present operations. Within weeks of
the team's report most of the recommendations had been implemented.
"I feel we are moving in a good direction and continue to
improve. Much of that is due to the Haas recommendations which,
in a somewhat different "Czech" format, are essentially being
implemented."
WILLIAM LOBKOWICZ, CEO
Grameen Shakti: Bangladesh 1998
Grameen Shakti (GS) is a not-for-profit rural power company
whose purpose is to supply renewable energy to unelectrified
villages in Bangladesh, GS expects not only to supply renewable
energy services, but also to create employment and income
generation opportunities in rural Bangladesh. GS will focus
on supply, marketing, sales, testing and development of renewable
energy systems of solar PV, biogas, and wind turbines.
In 1998 a team of four Haas students worked with Grameen Shakti
to prepare a strategic marketing plan for solar home systems.
Citibank: Indonesia 1997
Changing market conditions in Indonesia created an opportunity
for Citibank to explore new market segments and they sought
the help of Haas MBA students. Colin Woolcock, General Manager
of Citibank Jakarta, worked with the IBD program to find the
right Haas MBA team and define the project scope.
Citibank wanted to explore the growth potential in three distinct
markets: their preexisting capital equipment and cash management
businesses, as well as Indonesia's nascent mutual fund industry.
"Our flexibility and skills were put to the test" explained
Irene Hong Tanner, one of the Haas MBAs "as we had a substantial
amount of work to complete in a relatively short period of
time. We split up the work and were able to provide Citibank
with analysis and solutions on each of the three projects."
The work completed by the Haas MBAs generated significant
interest among the Citibank clients. Furthermore, Citibank
was able to manage each project team as they saw fit, with
either daily management contact or as outside consultants
with minimal contact needed. As a result of Citibank's satisfaction,
they have decided to hire more Haas MBA consultant teams through
the IBD program.
Another Haas team was set to depart for Indonesia in May 1998
to work with Citibank. However, due to the civil turmoil in
Jakarta at the time it was decided to postpone this project.
Motorola Southeast Asia 1993-1997
Since 1993, Motorola has engaged teams of Haas MBAs for projects
ranging from market analysis to entry strategies for its telecommunications
operations in Southeast Asia including places such as Malaysia,
Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Most recently in 1997, the Haas team investigated the prospects
of expanding into new regional markets. Haas MBAs provided
Motorola with a comprehensive picture of the market in places
where industry data was not readily available. By performing
due diligence on a prospective partner in the region, the
team equipped Motorola for making critical strategic decisions.
In 1996, a Haas MBA team examined alternative trade finance
mechanisms for Motorola such as counter trade, direct offset,
and project finance. The team conducted a benchmark analysis
of other multinational companies' business practices and interviewed
lawyers, government officials, bankers, and traders. With
members of German, Taiwanese, Japanese, Indian and American
heritage, this diverse team was able to contact different
international organizations and interview in several languages.
Team member Matthias Keudel stated, "the Berkeley name opened
doors for us as government officials and companies were very
cooperative and forthcoming. We also had access to creative
information sources that were not available to our client."
"The IBD project has become an integrated part of our market
entry strategy. The perspective provided by the MBAs is comprehensive,
the analysis is on the mark."
STEPHEN ZIELKE, DIRECTOR, SOUTHEAST ASIA, Motorola
Atlas Electrica S.A. Costa Rica 1995
How would Costa Rica's leading home appliance manufacturer
successfully adjust from a monopolist position to a competitive
environment? Would the market sustain an investment in new
production technologies that would modernize their stoves?
Atlas brought in Haas students Tom Elam, Omar Tellez, and
Sam Triki to perform a strategic analysis to address these
issues.
"The market is undergoing significant changes," explains Elam.
"The Costa Rican government is shifting their once-protectionist
economy toward an open one, and Central Americans in general
are moving out of poverty into the working class. This has
huge implications for Atlas."
The trio worked to gain a better understanding of the larger
economic context by interviewing business leaders, university
professors, and executives of Costa Rica's central bank, as
well as seek specific information about their client's market
by surveying Atlas's distributors. "The greatest challenge
came from dealing with a highly sophisticated client in an
unsophisticated market," says Elam.
"We gave the board of directors enough information to get
the ball rolling. We exposed them to significant issues and
helped them to ask the right questions."
Levi Strauss & Co. Russia 1994
Levi Strauss asked MBAs Laura Flores, Bob Herbst, and David
Pritchard to investigate markets for their denim products
in three Russian cities: Nizhniy Novgorod (formerly Gorky);
Kazan, capital of the Republic of Tatarstan; and Tyumen, in
Western Siberia. "Our goal was to determine the viability
of sales in each city, as well as identify potential partners
to open and run Levi's stores," says Flores. "Previously,
Levi Strauss had only targeted urban areas such as Moscow
and St. Petersburg.
"We spent three to four intense days in each city, interviewing
government officials and exploring the main commercial streets
to perform in-depth demographic surveys, footcounts, and price
comparisons. We also talked to operators of Western joint
ventures about terms and expectations."
The team recommended an entry strategy for the Russian market,
identifying potential distribution partners in each of the
surveyed cities. Levi's marketing executives in Geneva were
so impressed with the depth and breadth of the preliminary
report that they flew the team to Switzerland to make a formal
presentation to the Eastern European executive group.
"The Haas MBAs amassed a robust, yet discerning body of information
in just three weeks. They gave us in-depth insights into segments
of the Russian market that might have taken us months to gather."
GIUSEPPE RIGHINI, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, EASTERN EUROPE,
Levi Strauss & Co.
